AMAL moves to the building of the former Civil Government of Faro

The headquarters of Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve (AMAL) will move to the building of the former Civil Government of Faro.

The handing over ceremony took place this Wednesday, June 14, with the presence of José Luís Carneiro, Minister of Internal Administration, and means for António Pina «a recognition of the regional power that AMAL has been achieving in its relationship with the Government ».

«The Association of Municipalities has assumed more and more responsibilities, not only in terms of the transfer of competences, but also in terms of the management of community funds – and it is certain that the facilities that were part of the Civil Government and its Noble Hall have a additional symbology. In practical terms, this is a passage through the installations, but it has a symbology – and in politics we also live on perceptions and this symbology», the president of AMAL told journalists.

AMAL's headquarters will thus operate in the building of the former Civil Government of Faro after the works that, according to António Pina, «will start in the next few months» and that include «installation of new technologies, insulation... (rehabilitation works on a house that has been closed for some years)».

After the intervention, the former office of the Civil Governor will house the Office of the President of the Intermunicipal Community, while the Salão Nobre will host the meetings of the Intermunicipal Council, which is made up of the 16 mayors of the Algarve, meetings of the Municipalities with other entities and events with more than 20 people or seminars promoted by AMAL. The former building of the Intermunicipal Community, on Rua General Humberto Delgado, will maintain activities with technical services.

AMAL needed a new building due to the «overcrowding situation» of the current headquarters, stressing António Pina that it made no sense «that a space that is of great historical importance in the city should remain closed». Therefore, in conjunction with the President of the City Council of Faro, has insisted until today for this concession to take place.

At the ceremony, José Luís Carneiro reinforced the importance of AMAL and recalled the significance that Civil Governments had, referring that «it would not have been a good decision to go ahead with its extinction».

«What is certain is that they were extinguished and, today, we have to reconfigure the political and administrative response of the State in another way, around intermunicipal communities as spaces for dialogue, concertation and cooperation of intermunicipal work», said the minister of Internal Administration.

«The act that we are symbolizing here is that of giving better conditions to an Intermunicipal Community so that, from here, with better working conditions and logistics, it can better develop the function that is legally instilled in it: to plan and organize not only the work in strategic terms, but also to accompany the implementation and monitoring of the works of the Municipalities», added José Luís Carneiro.

Before the ceremony for handing over the building to AMAL, the minister was at the presentation of the Summer Safe 2023 program – Algarve.

Photos: Mariana Sedge | Sul Informação